Hopes high for local theater community in year to come

It's much easier, on New Year's Eve, to suggest resolutions for others, rather than yourself. So, here's a brief look at some of the things I hope local theater folks will strive for in the coming months:

■ That local musicians will cease to be the only segment of community theater performers who insist on payment for what for others is almost always a volunteer effort. While musicians are a valuable part of the live theater experience, it is insulting to accomplished actors, singers and directors (some of whom have spent many thousands of dollars in training), to assume that only musicians are worth paying. Aren't there any novices out there who'd be willing to work for the experience?

■ That the theater community will make more of an effort to end audience and performance segregation. It's rare to see blacks onstage or in the audience at any theater besides the West Las Vegas Library (which is in a black neighborhood). Here's hoping not only that fans from other neighborhoods will enjoy what the library has to offer, but that perhaps other troupes will occasionally do a performance of their current show in West Las Vegas to expose their product to a larger, more diverse audience.

■ That Las Vegas Little Theatre will continue to figure out new ways to serve the community. In a short time span, they've gone from hosting one theater to three, and have made their playhouses available to homeless troupes, and have begun sponsoring an original works competition. I hope they have at least one major surprise in store for the coming year.

■ That Signature Productions -- home to some of our finest musicals -- will include at least one quality title a year that is rarely done. No doubt they financially need to stick to the tried and true, but couldn't they just once a year take a risk? If one reads the list of all the Tony Award nominees from the past six decades, it's easy to see that there's plenty of quality product Vegas has yet to see. Help us, Signature.

■ That the Onyx will continue to experiment with ways to get butts in seats. Producer Mike Morse started out doing one show a weekend and has expanded his bill of fare to multiple productions of several offerings per week. He's also expanded his repertoire. You're as likely to see a light, adult gay comedy there as you are "Jekyll & Hyde" or the very mainstream "I Do! I Do!" This, along with the quality of the shows, may explain the surprise success of a 96-seat playhouse located inside a fetish shop.

■ That the Nevada Conservatory Theatre will make more of an effort to define who they are and what their responsibilities to students should be.

■ That Cirque du Soleil performers will continue to contribute their "off-duty" time to local theater. The artists are often well-trained actors, and during the past year, they've done much to elevate the level of quality in local playhouses.

Anthony Del Valle can be reached at vegastheaterchat@ aol.com. You can write him c/o Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125.